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The Vandal: All About the Aesthetic

We’ve noticed that the key to a hipsters heart is a ton of white space, a fancy coffee drink and something that gives them an excuse to Instagram it. Luckily, The Vandal has it all. The small restaurant located on Butler Street in Lawrenceville has got all the foodies buzzing, and a recent visit gave us the answers why.

The Vibe

When you first walk in to The Vandal, you are greeted with a simplistic bright atmosphere that draws you in and welcomes you to stay. Smells from the open kitchen fill the small space and are complimented by the espresso brewing to your right. The menu is short, clean, and to the point. You’ll be greeted right away by the friendly staff leaving you smiling the whole way through.

The Eats

When it comes to dining, atmosphere is a huge part of what drove us to attend. Unfortunately, if the food doesn’t hold up your visit might end up being a one and done experience. For lunch, I enjoyed a delightful cortado. It came in the cutest little ceramic mug that I almost asked if I could take home with me. They have plenty of delicious coffee drinks that will wake you and your taste buds up!

We tried out this fried chicken sandwich with chili barbecue sauce that was to die for, paired with an arugala salad that complimented it nicely (Although looking around the room we wished we had tried a little bit of everything on the menu).

Here’s their menu. We can’t promise you’ll know what everything means, but don’t be afraid to ask. They’ll be happy to explain what “chickabiddy” cheese is.

The People

Photo by Ben Filio featured on thevandalpgh.comSo who runs this joint? The owner is Joey Hilty (pictured second from right front). And who cooks up the good eats? That would be chef Csilla Thackray (pictured far right). Csilla’s roots in Eastern European cooking and her Hungarian heritage explains her approach to food: simplistic and seasonally driven. Her menu features many ingredients from local farms and co-ops around western PA. The Vandal’s menu is always changing, so every experience here is a new one.